Weather
A foot of rain overnight: Flash flood emergency in Palm Bay and West Melbourne, schools shut a day before Election Day
Volunteer gauges recorded up to 12 inches of rain in south Brevard, and the National Weather Service says 12 to 15 inches have fallen around Palm Bay and West Melbourne, with more possible. Schools and courts are closed Monday.
Developing story. Information is as of 9:45 a.m. Monday.
Storms stalled over Brevard County overnight and left streets underwater Monday morning. At 7:56 a.m., the National Weather Service in Melbourne declared a Flash Flood Emergency for West Melbourne and Palm Bay, calling it a “particularly dangerous situation.” It rated the potential damage “catastrophic.”
At 9:34 a.m., forecasters extended the emergency to 11:45 a.m. Radar and automated gauges showed “between 12 and 15 inches of rain have fallen,” with 3 to 5 more inches possible, they said. “SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW!” the warning said. Places in the warning include Palm Bay, Melbourne, West Melbourne, Malabar, Indialantic, Melbourne Beach, Grant-Valkaria and Micco.
Brevard Public Schools canceled classes Monday, and its website says district offices are closed too. Courts and the State Attorney’s Office are closed, News 6 reported, citing the Brevard County Bar Association. Brevard Catholic schools also closed.
How the warnings grew
The first Flash Flood Warning came at 2:17 a.m. A 4:44 a.m. warning for southern Brevard, when 6 to 8 inches had fallen, was extended at 7:27 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. A 4:58 a.m. warning for northern Brevard was extended to 10 a.m.
At 9:30 a.m., forecasters added a Flood Warning until noon for central Brevard, where 4 to 8 inches had fallen. It lists places including Melbourne, Titusville, Rockledge, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island, Satellite Beach and Indian Harbour Beach. A Flood Watch covers the county until 7 p.m.
The weather service also issued a Flood Warning for the St. Johns River near Cocoa. It expects the river to rise above flood stage this evening and reach moderate flood stage, 16.7 feet, Friday morning, when water may enter low-lying homes along the river in the Lake Poinsett area.
How much rain
These are preliminary 24-hour totals from volunteer CoCoRaHS gauges, read between about 6 and 8 a.m. Rain kept falling after the readings.
Palm Bay, 3.1 miles north-northwest: 12.00 inches
West Melbourne, 2.6 miles west-southwest: 11.90
Melbourne, 3.5 miles north: 11.11
Indialantic, 3.3 miles north-northwest: 10.51
Satellite Beach, 1.7 miles north-northwest: 8.82
Titusville, 3.5 miles northwest: 8.80
Cocoa Beach, 0.8 miles east-southeast: 4.54
Roads
West Melbourne: Minton Road is closed northbound at Helen Street and southbound at U.S. 192, West Melbourne police said, News 6 reported.
U.S. 192: Sheriff Wayne Ivey said Sunday night that the rain had “already flooded out 192 in Melbourne,” Florida Today reported.
Palm Bay: Police reported flooding at Jupiter Boulevard and multiple intersections along Emerson Drive, and a trained spotter reported two vehicles stalled on Nebraska Street NE, according to weather service storm reports. Police also blocked parts of Heritage Parkway, and Jupiter Boulevard and Garvey Road were heavily flooded, Florida Today reported.
Rescues and shelters
“We’re seeing streets underwater everywhere,” Palm Bay police spokesperson Lt. Vincent Galioto told Florida Today. He said some people got stuck overnight and that the department has small boats and pickup trucks to help with any rescues. As of 9:45 a.m., 321 Daily had found no official count of water rescues, injuries or flooded homes, and no announcement of shelters or evacuations.
Sheriff Ivey asked residents to stay home and off the roads unless they need to travel for work or to escape flooding. “Do not attempt to drive on a road that you cannot clearly see,” he said.
Election Day
Polls open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and voters must vote at their assigned precinct, the Supervisor of Elections says. The office canceled a Canvassing Board meeting set for 3 p.m. Monday. Check votebrevard.gov for any polling place changes before you go.
Safety
Stay home if you can. Never drive or walk through water when you can’t see the road. Turn around, don’t drown.
Call 911 for emergencies.
Watch the Supervisor of Elections and Brevard Public Schools for Tuesday changes.
A High Surf Advisory runs until 7 p.m. Stay out of the ocean.
Based on National Weather Service alerts and storm reports, CoCoRaHS data, official agency websites and published reports. 321 Daily did not seek comment for this story.
